No One Is Free
by Gaby Black
Summary: Oneshot. Andromeda spends Christmas at Ted's parent's house. It is the first time she feels free and happy, all this thanks to Ted and his present.


**Pairing:** Ted/Andromeda

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters mentioned; they are JK Rowling's. No money is being made.

* * *

**_no one is free_**

On December, 23rd, Andromeda watched the snow fall from within the warmth of her compartment in the Hogwarts Express, grateful to be inside as she hated the cold. She was leaving Hogwarts, but not to go to the place she guessed she should call home, even though she had stopped thinking of the gloomy house as home a long time ago.

No, this year, she wasn't going to see her _family_ (she could almost smile at this thought, her so-called family). She had told her parents she preferred staying at Hogwarts for the holidays to study for her NEWTs, even though they were months away. Her parents had agreed that it was more important than coming home for Christmas. Even though it had been her idea, and even though she had given up on them years ago, she had still felt a twinge of sadness when she had read their letter. Between proud Bella and Princess Cissy, she had always felt forsaken anyway.

Well, until she had met Ted Tonks.

Andromeda smiled slightly.

She was going to see him again. Four months without seeing him had felt like hell, even though they had sent each other letters almost every day (which she hid from her fellow Slytherins). Ted had graduated the year before and was living in London and working in the biggest bookshop in Diagon Alley. Judging by his letters, he was having a lot of fun but he missed her terribly.

She sighed. She still wasn't used to all this, even though she had been dating Ted for about a year. No, she wasn't used to being loved, and she had to pinch herself to believe it was real.

The train at last came to a halt and Andromeda quickly picked up her trunk and got off the train (she had left her owl at Hogwarts as she didn't want anyone to contact her). As she did, though, she was so lost in thoughts that she nearly tripped over herself.

"Bugger," Andromeda muttered.

She surprised herself; before spending too much time with Ted for her own good, she had never uttered a single swear word. A Black didn't swear. That must have been the reason why she had always found this habit of his refreshing.

"I'm afraid I'm having a bad influence on you."

She looked up sharply as she recognized the voice and jumped into Ted's arms. She was rather tall but thin and she loved the fact that he was tall and strong enough to sweep her off her feet.

"Hello, you," Andromeda whispered, a large, happy smile gracing her face for the first time in months.

She could not see his face because she had her head buried in his chest, holding him tight, but she knew he was smiling, too.

"Hello, Dromeda. It's so good to see you. Four months felt like four years, didn't they?"

Andromeda pulled back and nodded earnestly.

"They did… I'm so glad to be here."

Ted moved to the right to reveal a couple standing behind him.

"Let me introduce you to my parents… Mum, Dad, this is Andromeda."

Ted looked a lot like his father: tall, broad, fair-haired and friendly face. His mother was a fragile-looking, gracious little woman who seemed very emotive. They were both smiling broadly.

"Nice to meet you, Andromeda," the father said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr Tonks, Mrs Tonks," Andromeda replied.

Andromeda was aware of the fact that she sounded a bit clipped, but this was the way she had been brought up. The man laughed.

"Please call me Mark. And you can call my wife Edith."

Andromeda nodded. She hoped she didn't look too haughty – it was just her way of covering her embarrassment. She was a bit afraid of meeting Ted's parents, actually. She had no idea how a normal family behaved.

"D'you need help with your trunk, Dromeda?" Ted asked.

Andromeda shook her head. "No, I can manage –"

But Ted ignored her and took her trunk anyway. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"Teddy, always the gentleman," Edith said, smiling lovingly at her son.

"I can't wait to be home," Ted said excitedly as they began walking. "Wait till you taste my mother's food! You'll never want to leave."

Andromeda didn't doubt this. How could she want to leave and go back to Hogwarts now?

* * *

On the way to Ted's parents' house, Ted and his father did most of the talking – Andromeda got the feeling it was always like this. The mother seemed content just to listen to them and to occasionally make comments, and Andromeda was, too. She knew that Ted knew her well; she was not talkative, but her silence did not mean that she was bored.

"Did Ted tell you that his mother used to be an ice-skating champion?" Mark asked Andromeda suddenly.

Andromeda opened her mouth to respond, but Ted cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"She doesn't know about ice-skating, Dad," Ted said, his voice hushed so that the other Muggles on the street would not hear. "She's always lived among wizards."

"Ah, yes, I'd forgotten."

Andromeda saw the disappointment on Mark's face; obviously, Edith's talents were the pride of the family (as was, of course, Ted being a wizard).

"I'd like to know about it, though," Andromeda said politely.

"Would you?" Edith sounded pleasantly surprised. "There's a gala for Christmas tomorrow; we could all go together."

"Of course," Andromeda nodded. "I'd like that."

Ted smiled broadly. "Great! And then we'll go home and help Mum with the cooking for Christmas Eve."

Mark rolled his eyes affectionately. "Yes, and then you can have your presents, son… Remind me how old you are?"

Andromeda laughed along with them. She was only beginning to realize how much she had been missing not growing up in a loving family.

* * *

The hours passed by so quickly in the pretty little Tonks' house that it was Christmas Eve before Andromeda realized it. She found it very easy to get on with Ted's father as he was so much like Ted himself, and she had definitely scored points with his mother when they had gone to see the ice-skating show and she had whispered in awe, "it's beautiful!". She had never been more sincere in her life, and to find such a Muggle thing beautiful was rather surprising; but there it was, she loved it all. The car (how much fun that had been when Ted had driven her across the neighbourhood!), the cinema (Ted and she had curled up in the dark and kissed and had not even realized when the film had ended), electricity… It felt like she was another person now, totally different from Andromeda Black, respectable Pureblood. She was just Dromeda now, a seventeen-year-old girl very much in love with her sweet boyfriend and enjoying her first merry Christmas. She had not even felt like uttering one single sarcastic remark. Sarcasm, which Bellatrix and Sirius were very keen on, too, seemed to be the Blacks' trademark humour (if they had one, which was yet to be proved).

Edith apparently loved paintings and arts (it made Andromeda smile to imagine down-to-earth Ted surrounded by modern art paintings which puzzled her completely). There was one painting, especially, above the couch, which intrigued her. It represented a man with sunglasses and a strange haircut, and there was a line written on it:

_No one is free__, even the birds are chained to the sky._

For some reason, that made Andromeda shiver (perhaps the word 'free' in itself was the reason, and 'chained', too… she knew about them all too well). She really had to stop thinking about her family – yet she knew she would never really be able to. _No one is free…_

"Dromeda? Come here!"

Andromeda joined Ted by the Christmas tree. There were many little presents under it, including her present for Ted (a brand new set of robes – he was always so careless with his clothes). But she frowned at a big box with holes in it.

"I don't think your present can wait until tomorrow morning," Ted smiled mysteriously, gesturing towards the box. "Come on, open it."

Andromeda stared at him, intrigued. He had never been handsome, but there was something in his face – the kind glint in his eyes? – that had always appealed to her. His light brown hair was shimmering by the candlelight, and his brown eyes looked almost golden.

She calmly opened her present, but cool, collected Andromeda could not help but gave a slight squeal as she saw what was inside the box: a brown, fluffy kitten. She had never seen anything more adorable.

"You remembered?" Andromeda whispered, turning back to Ted.

Andromeda had always loved cats, but her mother abhorred them, therefore she had never had one. To have one now was a symbol of freedom, meant that she didn't care anymore about what her mother thought.

"His name is Fluffy," Ted said.

His colour was the exact same shade of brown as Andromeda's hair – the colour of chocolate.

"Fluffy?" Andromeda raised her eyebrows.

Ted chuckled. "Well, you can change his name, if you want."

"No, it fits him…" Andromeda said quietly. "He's perfect. All this is perfect, Ted."

Ted beamed and Andromeda kissed him. That was happiness, she decided.

She turned to the painting. It was wrong.

She was free now.

* * *

**_Now please participate to the Christmas cheer and hit the little blue button! Thank you. By the way, I take no credit for the beautiful 'no one is free' quote - it's Bob Dylan's. Merry Christmas everyone!_**


End file.
